Contemplations: Roxas
by FlikFreak
Summary: One-shot, spoilers. Roxas reflects on the days leading up to his meeting with Sora. He finally found what he was searching for, but he wanted to be sure it was worth it.


**Contemplations: Roxas**

**By FlikFreak**

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**There was no denying that Sora was an odd kid. Roxas had known that the moment he first laid eyes on him. True, it was a nobody's fate to either fade away or to reunite with their 'other,' as some of the lower members of Organization XIII would put it, and Roxas had looked forward to that moment, but the manner in which it had been pulled off didn't please him.

It didn't change his thoughts on Sora, however.

DiZ wanted revenge on his apprentices for stealing his name, research, and most of all, pride. For that, he would use Sora. It was hard to tell if the man had really thrust it all upon him; Sora probably would have ended up facing off against the Organization anyway. It just so happened that DiZ's former assistants formed a good portion of the group. To extract his revenge, DiZ wanted a 'complete' Sora…meaning Roxas would have to give up his existence and return his portion of power to Sora.

Roxas had ended up with his thoughts rearranged, having been fooled that he had lived in Twilight Town for all his life as a normal kid. It was only when he started having strange dreams about that kid named Sora that things went awry. That first day, not only had photos been stolen all over town, but the actual _word_ had been stolen as well (and while Roxas admitted it was amusing watching Hayner say "photo" over and over with no sound coming from his mouth, he did feel _some_ sympathy). The rest of the week was even stranger: thieves that only he could see stealing his money, and those monsters in white attacking him. Then that Axel guy showed up, claiming to be his best friend. That sad truth was that Axel wasn't lying, and Roxas's jumbled memory was keeping him from seeing the truth. It was probably a good thing, since Roxas didn't want to go back to the Organization, but he ended up making Axel quite angry, which _always_ involved fire in one way or another.

That last day was the strangest. Sora's memories had been entirely restored, so it was time for Roxas to merge back with him. It had started like any other day, only he had barely noticed his appearance flickering like the static on a television. It would change for a brief second to Sora, then go back to Roxas. It would waver a few more times before staying still for a few minutes, then it would dive into a frenzy again. Axel had made one last attempt to take him back, but as usual, Roxas ran, making his way to the old haunted mansion where he finally caught sight of the person he was supposed to be.

At first, Roxas was hesitant. He fully believed he'd vanish when he gave back Sora the half of himself that he needed. The similarities between the two would make one think they were identical twins…unless, of course, you considered the fact that Roxas's hair was not only blonde instead of brown, but a lot less messy. Their personalities were similar as well, although Sora was much more forgiving and Roxas had a noticeably shorter temper.

The way Sora floated there peacefully almost made Roxas angry, but he knew it couldn't be helped. It had to be done. For someone so energetic and optimistic, Sora sure looked weird sleeping like that. Eyes closed, arms and legs limp, breath slow and steady. He couldn't decide whether it was eerie or simply calming.

That was the last thing he saw for a while before he finally blacked out, going back to who he was supposed to be. Roxas was sure he had faded, and all things considered it would have probably been better if he did, but he didn't. His consciousness was still there, and it was affecting Sora. It shouldn't have, but it was. When Sora witnessed Axel's death, Roxas had woken with a start like a child would screaming from a nightmare. It was the hardest thing ever, watching his best friend sacrifice his existence to clear the path for Sora, but it had served more than just that purpose. Roxas knew that Axel wasn't gone…not entirely. He wasn't sure how, but he knew. That was good enough for him. But with that fact in mind, he also knew that it would be in vain if Sora had come this far only to fail.

So when Sora paused hesitantly in front of Memory's Skykscraper, Roxas decided to test him.

The original intent was that, anyway. Roxas figured that if Sora couldn't beat him (which was startlingly akin to Sora defeating himself, he realized), he wouldn't stand a chance against Xemnas. He managed to make himself visible, pulling himself from Sora with great strain, but didn't dare to touch that last thread that held them together. He lashed out, summoning Oblivion and Oathkeeper to his hands, and dragged Sora into his own heart.

Sora was obviously startled. Anyone would be. "Who are you?!" He demanded, trying to cover his fear with a façade of bravery. Didn't he always?

Roxas kept his hood low and muttered back, "Someone from the dark." There. That would suffice for now. He shoved Sora away.

Predictably, the brunette wasn't on the line of thought that had anything to do with Nobodies. Roxas wasn't surprised. He had been searching for his friends for so long that that was what was on his mind a good portion of the time. Sora stared at him, wide-eyed. "You can't be…Riku?!"

"Riku?" Roxas echoed, a sudden feeling of smugness coming upon him. "I _defeated_ a Riku once." _Something _you_ never were able to do,_ Roxas thought with a smirk. Although Riku _had_ ended up winning anyway, Roxas still had bragging rights over his own victory.

"You _what_?!" Sora demanded, obviously taking it differently.

He didn't have time for this. Roxas rested the tips of the keyblades on the ground. "Tell me," He began. "Tell me why he picked _you_."

He charged forward, paying no attention to the fact that his weapons were making an intimidating screech against the floor, sparks flying upward. Sora's eyes bulged in fear, but instincts from two years of fighting the heartless caused the other to defend himself. Roxas, however, didn't hold back.

Why _did_ it pick Sora? The kid was a goofy, laid back teenager that should have worried about _having_ a girlfriend, not _saving_ one. As Roxas lashed, Sora leapt backward out of the way. Another slash. Sora locked it downward with his own weapon. Pulling the keyblade away, Roxas jumped upward and made for another hit. Sora parried it and leapt into the air. Roxas followed, a midair clash ensuing. While Sora fell back down to the ground, Roxas kept himself hovering in the air, looking downward on his opponent. Then, he felt something at the back of his mind. The stained glass platform that they stood on held the image of Sora, he knew that…but there were also other pictures on there. Other pictures of people that Sora held dear.

"I see," Roxas muttered, the realization dawning on him so strongly he barely noticed how loud his voice was. "So that's why."

With that he leapt down, continuing his assault. Sora was tiring, and Roxas knew that the boy was losing hope. But if Sora really did hold his friends so near and dear to him, he'd win. Roxas knew he would. He let out a flurry of attacks, but Sora was running on steam, and only held up his weapon to parry the blows. With a burst of strength, Roxas dealt the harshest blow that he could manage, causing Sora to stumble. The keyblade that Sora held flew out of his hand and clattered to the ground far away. Desperate, the brunette raced for it, but Roxas wouldn't let that happen. He stabbed the handle securely with Oathkeeper, pointing Oblivion threateningly at Sora.

_Game over. I win._

But Sora's face contorted from fear, to hopelessness, back to fear, and into determination. His hand formed a fist, and he reached for the keyblade that had been denied him. Roxas was about to remark on it when he looked down and realized that it was no longer where it had fallen to. His jaw dropped. "Wha-?!"

His thought remained unfinished when he felt a sharp pain slice across his front. Everything seemed to go silent. Roxas dropped his weapons, ignoring that they vanished as they clattered to the ground. He began to walk forward, but he stumbled, his hood falling. Sora made no attempt to catch him, but did start a bit, his fingers twitching in Roxas's direction. After gasping for breath for a few seconds, Roxas stood, opening his eyes again and smiling. _I was right,_ he thought to himself. _I was right._

In the silence, he could feel Sora's suspicious glare on the back of his head. He had expected as much. Sora had been told that a black coat meant Organization XIII, and Organization XIII was his enemy. He had held to that, whether for his safety or because of his naïveté, even after Axel had helped him. But most importantly, he finally had what he had looked so long and hard for, and it was more than he could have ever wanted. Roxas turned around, still smiling.

"You make a good other."

And Sora really did.


End file.
